Box-fastener



No. 626,329. atented lune 6, |899. A. J. LAUER.

BOX FASTENER:

(Application led Feb. 2B, 1898.)

(No Model.)

UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ANTON J. LAUER, OF MILWAUKEE, VISOONSIN.

BOX-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,329, dated June 6, 1899. Application filed February 28, 1898. Serial No. 671,949. (No model.)

`To all wiz/0m, t 'may concern,.-

Be it known that I, ANTON J LAUER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Fastening Box-Lids; land I do hereby declare that the following isafnll, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has for its object to improve the general construction and arrangement of parts set forth in my United States Patent No. 611,637, issued October 1, 1898. Therefore it consists in the peculiarities of structural detail hereinafter specified with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a plan view of a box embodying my improvements, this box being partly broken away and in horizontal section; Fig. 2, a sectional View indicated by line 2 2 in the preceding figure; Fig. 3, a detail plan view, partly in horizontal section, illustrating the means for fastening the box-lid; Fig. 4, a detail front elevation of a portion of the box, partly in section; and Fig. 5, a detail elevation of a rear upper corner of the box, the latter View being indicated by line 5 5 in the rst figure.

vReferring' by letter to the drawings, A indicates each of the end walls, B the rear Wall, C the front Wall, and D the sliding lid, of a box to which my present invention relates. Like in the patent aforesaid, the end walls A rise above the plane of the upper edges of the rear and front walls B O and are provided with transverse grooves or ways 'a in their extended portions to receive the ends of the lid D, the base-line of each groove or way being even with said upper edges of the rear and front walls, so that said lid will form a snug fit therewith when in place.

Itis customary to band box ends With strapiron or wire, and such material may be arranged to clear the rear ends of the lidways and close the front ends of same. Strap-iron bands G are herein shown covering the front ends of the lidways and having rear recesses in register with said lidways to adord lid clearance, the metal being stamped out and laid back, as shown at g in Figs. l and 5. The

' Having the front ends of the grooves or lidways in the upwardly-extended end Walls of the box crossed by the banding material prevents the lid D from overshooting the line of the front Wall of said box, thus insuring of Said lid being properly placed without espe cial care on the part of the operator.'

The lid-fastening mechanism herein shown differs materially from that set forth in my former patent,`and consists in a spring-metal latch-plate E of peculiar construction and a preferably right-angled plate F, having one branch thereof provided with a slot b, thelatter plate being a keeperforthe one aforesaid. The latch-plate E has an end portion thereof bent to form an upturned right-angled shoul der c, the outer extremity d of said plate beyond the shoulder being depressed and preferably provided with an aperture e for the purpose hereinafter specified. Back of its upturned shoulder c the latch-plate is herein shown provided with a lipystam pcd out therefrom, and by means of a bend g it is preferable to offset the forward portion of said plate from the remainder thereof. The inner end of the latch-plate may be pointed and bent at a right angle to form the tang h, shown extending through from the under side of the box-lid and clenched upon the same. A stay-tack i is also shown as a means for securing the latch-plate to the box-lid. By offsetting the latch-plate, as above specified, the same is not liable to damage if struck witha hammer when being putin place, and When said latchplate is positioned that portion thereof between bend g and tang 7L is snug against the under side of the box-lid. The right-angled keeper-plate F is made fast to the front Wall C of the box to face the inner side and upper edge of same, as well as to have its slot b in position for the engagement of the free end of the latch-plate E, that portion of said keeper-plate facing the upper edge of said box-Wall being preferably provided with an aperture j for the purpose specified.

The front edge of the lid D is recessed to IOO -ex pose the aperture j ofthe keeper-plate when said lid is in place to close the box, and the front wall C of said box is also recessed to obtain clearance for the free end of the latchplate. Aperture e of the latch-plate comes in register with the aperture j ofthe keeperplate, and it is shown that the flexible portion m o'f. a metallic seal may engage those registering apertures.

The rear Wall B of the box has its lupper edge provided with a recess p in order to afford clearance for latch-plate E when the lid D is moved along in the guideways above specified, and by having these guideways closed at their front ends by the strap-iron bands or otherwise there can be no undue strain imposed upon said latch-plate or the keeper-plate aforesaid. The box-lid being moved in its guideways from rear to front of the box, the depressed extremity of the latchplate E will enter groove h in keeper-plate F,

'and said latch-plate has 'sufficient yield to insure of its shoulder c passing through said slot to come outside the keeper-plate. This clearance having beenautomatically effected, the latch-plate will spring back to have the space between its shoulderc and lip f engaged .by the keeper-plate, whereby retraction of the box-lid is prevented until said latch-plate is manipulated to permit of said shoulder again clearing the keeper-plate slot.

The lid of the box having been latched in place., a metallic seal may be applied to the latch members Whenever desirable.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the grooved upper extension ofthe end walls of the box and the latch mechanism combine to secure the box-lid in place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of a box having its end walls extended above the other walls and provided with transverse grooves in the extensions, the box-iid having sliding engagement in the end-wall grooves, a spring-metal latchplate fast to the under side of said lid, and

a slotted keeper-plate fast to the' front Wall 'y of the box, the latch-plate having a depressed -free end extending from a right-angled upper shoulder and anupturned lip in rear of said shoulder, the latter being arranged to come ANTON J. LAUER.`

Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, B. C. ROLOFR 

